Switch mechanism



Dec. so, 1958 J. SIMPSON SWITCH MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 3. 1955 {NVENTOR JuJZz'n Jim mam ATTORNEYS a BY Dec. 30, 1958 J. SIMPSON 2,866,863

SWITCH MECHANISM ATTORNEYS United States Pa en SWITCH MECHANISM Justin Simpson, Elmhurst, IlL, assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application August 3, 1955, Serial No. 526,197. Divided and this application May 13,1957, Serial No. 658,711

3 Claims. (Cl. 200-47) This application is a division of my U. S. application, S. N. 526,197, filed August 3, 1955, and entitled fCrown Cap Lining Machine. While the present invention is intended primarily for use with such a machine, it is equally applicable to motor driven machines for other purposes.

The present invention includes a machine stopping switch, a lever having one end associated with said switch to open the latter when said lever is moved in one direction, and a manually releasable locking arm for normally holding a manually operable machine element against movement; and the invention has aimed to provide an assembly of this character having novel provision for moving the aforesaid lever to switch-open position upon release of said locking arm, thereby prohibiting movement of the aforesaid manually operable element without first opening the machine stopping switch.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged vertical section partly in elevation, showing primarily the drive shaft, the overload clutch for driving said drive shaft, the inching means, and the switch and lock associated with said clutch and said inching means.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary edge view showing the driving and kick out roller of the clutch and associated ele ments of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing the switch and lock associated with the inching shaft and an element of the overload clutch, the switch actuator being in switch open position and the lock in operative position.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 2 with the drive shaft in section, as indicated by line 16--16 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the lock released and the switch actuator again in switch open position.

Figure 5 is a perspective vview of the inching shaft lock and the coacting switch actuator.

While the construction of the machine with which the present invention has been disclosed is fully illustrated in the parent application above mentioned, sufficient illustration of that construction has been included in Fig. 1 to disclose the preferred application of the invention.

Upon a portion 4 of a base 1, a housing 39 is secured. At the upper end of this housing is a feed turret 20 carried by the upper end of a shaft 20a which is rotatably mounted in said housing. The shaft 20a is provided with a spur gear 20b for driving the machine: and said shaft is provided also with a worm gear 200. A drive shaft 26, for the entire machine, has a worm 27 meshing with the worm gear 20c, said drive shaft being mounted in pearings 57 at the ends of a housing 58 carried by the housing 39. An overload release clutch 28 and a belt and pulley drive 29 are provided for transmitting motion from an electric motor (not shown) to the drive shaft 26.

The above mentioned clutch 28 for driving the drive shaft 26, is of a type which will automatically kick-out or disengage upon overload and said clutch includes a sleeve 49 surrounding said drive shaft 26 and shiftable toward the outer end of the latter when clutch disengagement occurs. This shifting is utilized to open a motor stopping switch 50 for the driving motor. This switch 50 is mounted upon an arched bracket 51 which is secured at 52 to a longitudinally channeled bracket arm 53, said arm 53 underlying the outer end portion of the drive shaft 26 and uppermost pulley 54 of the belt and pulley drive 29. The inner end of the arm 53 is rigidly secured at 55 to the base 40 of the feed turret supporting housing 39, and said inner end of said arm 53 is provided with a housing 56 for the pulley 54 and the clutch 28 of the drive shaft 26.

Some clarifying statements with regard to the clutch 28 may be made before proceeding further. This clutch embodies a drive plate 80 secured to the pulley 54 and having a radial groove 81 facing the sleeve 49. This sleeve 49 is splined or slidably keyed at 82 to the drive shaft 26 and carries a driving and kick out roller 83 which is normally held in the groove 81 of the drive plate 80 by spring means 84 which presses said sleeve 49 toward said drive plate 80. In case of overload, the roller 83 is forced from the groove 81, thereby sliding the sleeve 49 to cause opening of the motor stopping switch 50 as above explained. As the other elements of the clutch 28 have obvious functions, further explanation is unnecessary.

The outer end of the bracket arm 53 is provided with a bearing 59 spaced from and axially aligned with the outer end of the drive shaft 26. An inching shaft 60 having a hand wheel 61 is rotatable and slidable in the bearing 59. The adjacent ends of the two shafts 26 and 60 have cooperable clutch elements 62 and 63 for conmeeting the inching shaft 60 with the drive shaft 26, as seen in Figure 4, when said drive shaft is to be turned slowly by hand in setting the machine, making adjustments, etc. In order to engage the clutch element 63 of the inching shaft with the element 62 of the drive shaft 26, it is necessary to slide the former shaft toward the latter (compare Figures 2 and 4). A lock is provided, however, for prohibiting this sliding while the switch 54) is in closed position, thereby overcoming any possibility of the machine being accidentally driven by power while using the inching means.

The inching means lock is shown in the form of an arm 64 seen best in Figures 2 to 5 although appearing also in Figure 1. This arm 64 underlies the arched bracket 51 and extends longitudinally over the clutch elements 62 and 63. One end of this arm 64 has a hub 65 whichis pivotally mounted on a pin 66 carried by lugs 67 of the bracket 51. The other end of the arm 64 has a locking nose 68 and a releasing handle 69. The clutch element 63 of the inching shaft 60 has a peripheral groove 70 which receives the nose 68 to lock the inching shaft 66 in idle position, said groove and nose having shoulder portions 71 and 72 which then abut each other as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The locking arm 64 must be swung upwardly in order to release the inching shaft 60 for engagement with the drive shaft 26. This upward swinging opens the switch 50 due to construction now to be described.

A vertical actuating lever 73 is provided for the switch 50, said lever being fulcrumed beneath its ends on the Patented Dec. so, was

pin 66 at one side of the locking arm 64. The lower end "74 of the lever'73 is 'bias'ed"toward'the outer end of the sleeve 49 of the clutch '-28 by means of a spring 75 whichtconnects said lever 73. with the bracket 51, and a stop screw 76 limits the movement. of said 1ever73n'naer the influence of said spring 75L: The upper end of the lever 73 carries aswitch operating screvv'77 which normally holds the switch 50 in closedposition. 'Ifithe clutch ZS disengages under'the. influence of overload; the sleeve 49 rocks the lever '73 from 'the'positio'n of Figure l to that of Figure 2, allowing 'the switch 50 to open and stop the motor.

The lever 73 and locking a'rm 64 are provided with cooperable abutments,78 and 79 which transmit movernent from said arm 64 to said lever73 (Figure 4) to cause opening ofthe switch 50- when said arm 64 is swung to 'released position -to allow engagement t of the inching sh'a'ft 60withthe drive shaft'26. As'long as the inching shaft is connected with the drive sha'ft 2'6, the locking arm 64 rests on the clutch telementt'63 as -shown in Figure 4. The'abutments 78and 79 then hold the lever '73 in.its switch open position. The machine motor cannot therefore 'be inadvertently operated while the inching means is engaged with the drive shzift26. The lever. carried abutment 78 merely moves away from the arm carried abiitment79 (Figure!) when the lever 73 is operated by the sleeve 49 of the clutch 28, and the lockingarm 64 therefore remainsin locking position.

From theforegoing, it will be seen that if thellocking arm 64 should bereleasedwithout first stopping the 'machine, the releasing movement of said arm '64 willcause the a'butments 78 and 79to operate the lever 73 and "that whereasthe arm 64 normally locks the'inching "shaft 60 in the present disclosure, said arm could well be employed to lock any other machine element which should not be moved by hand while the machine is running.

I claim:

1. In a machine stopping means, a support, a normally closed machine stopping switch mounted on said support alever fulcrumed between its ends 'on said support and having oneend operativelyassociated with said switch to open the latter when said lever is moved in one direction, a locking arm 'pivotally mounted on said support .near saidlever said locking arm being disposed at an angle to said lever for retaining a portion o'f the machine in a fixed position, and coacting abutmcnts on said lever and arm including portions permitting pivotal movement of said lever to a switch opening .position independently of 'said locking arm and for swinging said lever to switch opening positionwhen's'aid arm ismanuallyswung from its normal position to released position.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1; said locking arm being pivotedcoaxially with the fulcrum of said lever the portions of said abutments being radially spaced equidistantly from said'fulcru'm.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1; the free end of said locking arm havinga lQcking'nQse'and a manually engageable releasing handle extending away from said locking nose.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 751,204 Kempton et a1 Mar. 18, 1930 

